I think that this is one of those times that you get insomnia and think up something stupid like the subject heading. Just hearing that phrase makes you want to read about whatever is the new pack, tarp, fly, bivy whatever as we look at our checking account and try to figure out how to hide the purchase from our non-addicted spouses.

Ramblings at 2:00 in the morning as I await BMW's new Cocoon whatever and MLD's new stuff.

I think that I am one of the worst crackheads because I am involved in photography and bicycles also!

Randy,You were wondering aloud how to temporarily conceal your new purchases..

One of the old timers here had sage advice; If I may quote his(or her) old post here:

"..every married man knows that the gear must be stored out of sight in cryptically marked non-translucent containers (like old cardboard boxes to attract the least attention from the better half). Out of sight; out of mind. I find discretion is the better part of valor.

Gear only is spotted when it's time to take it out, to pack for a trek, from where it has been surreptitiously sequestered away anxiously awaiting its next use. Then, you only have to deal with comments like, "Is that a new headlamp?" To which one can honestly reply, "No. I've had it for quite a while and just started using it."

I was happily married for about 5 years ..... but I was with her for 20. She'd car camp but backpacking was out.

Like the young fool that I was, I succumbed to the pressure, "for the sake of the kids".

My new wife understood from the beginning that Backpacking was "Not optional". I don't require her to go, although buying her a nice kit of her own keeps her interest in my purchases at a more "that's cool" level instead of a complaining one.

Am I the only one here who doesn't have a special deal, account, covert op., or other arrangement with their S/O for backpacking purchases? Now, granted, pretty much everything is cost-prohibitive to us so a gear "addiction" is out of the question, but if I need something (or even want REAL bad) my wife and I discuss it and she is usually OK with that. She realizes that backpacking is a passion of mine and she likes seeing me happy while I'm immersed in it. I guess I'm just really lucky. *shrug*

Then there's the other end of the spectrum. My girlfriend has a masters in Nuclear Chemistry and is the epitome of the tinkerer. After looking at and playing with my gear for an extended period of time, she eventually got a parttime job at REI just like me, so she could afford to feed her new gear addiction. Unfortunately, she hasn't learned yet to pace herself like this old salt. I keep trying to explain to her it's just not acceptable to spend MORE than your paycheck on new gear every pay day!

Oh well, as least we'll eventually move to a bigger place so we can house our gear!

My wife has actually financed many of my gear purchases; she didn't intend to, but she did. For years, she'd come home from a shopping trip and tell me how much money she'd saved me. One day, I showed up with a new tent. She promptly asked the price and "where did you get the money for it?" I explained that I simply made a withdrawal from that savings account she'd been building up. She's never objected to a piece of new gear since.

I was serving as a juror one time, and when we were all supposed to re-assemble after our lunch break, one lady juror came back 45 minutes late! The judge asked her what happened. Whatever intelligence she lacked, she more than made up for with her enthusiasm -- she went on and on about this great sale that she went to. The judge asked her how much she saved. "$300 at least", she beamed. The judge then fined her $300!!!

I just had to read this post because I thought "Backpacker crack" was something similar to "Builders crack", and that maybe someone had ill-advisedly made some slippery and see-through shorts out of Cuben Fiber...

I have a good resolution for you big spenders.Buy a sewing machine and start making your own gear.

You will be able to save money even while buying the expensive stuff, because it is takes time to sew the gear. Your limited on the time you can spend on your new hobby.

This works for me.During the the off season I usually make 1 or 2 - $100 orders over a 2 month period. That's about all I have time to sew.It also gives you a better feeling of ownership when you MYO gear.

I've been taking all my daily loose change and putting it into a jar. At the end of the month I empty the jar and count the change, at which time, no matter how much or little is in there, I buy the stuff anyway. But It makes me feel better. Delusional? Crack does that, right?

When I tell my wife I'm waiting for the new hooded cocoon she looks at me and says "you've already bought three new jackets this year, why do you need a fourth?" Why doesn't my wife understand that an insulated layer, a waterproof shell, and a windshirt are all different and not "jackets"